Backtracking on Turkey?
It is very clear that the Vatican has not adopted the position taken by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on Turkey's potential admission to the European Union. Before his election, Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) said that Turkey's entry into...
It is very clear that the Vatican has not adopted the position taken by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on Turkey's potential admission to the European Union. Before his election, Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) said that Turkey's entry into the European community would be problematical because of the country's Islamic cultural background, which would clash with the Christian heritage of the existing European community.
Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, has signalled sympathy for the Turkish government's bid for EU membership. In an interview published on January 7 by the French magazine Documentation Catholique, Cardinal Bertone said: "Today Turkey has a secular system of governance that respects the democratic majority. It is in Europe's interest to help Turkey to be a true democracy built on a value system." Cardinal Bertone argued that keeping Turkey out of the EU would "risk favouring Islamic fundamentalism in the country".
The question of Vatican support for Turkish membership of the EU was a major topic during Pope Benedict's trip to Turkey in November. Turkish officials were anxious to secure the Pope's support. After an airport meeting with the Pontiff on November 29, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that the Pope had told him, "we wish for Turkey's entry into the EU".
On the other hand, there is no hesitation or backtracking in the defence of the right of religious freedom in Turkey or elsewhere. In fact, during a January 19 meeting with that country's new ambassador to the Holy See, Muammer Dogan Akdur, Pope Benedict urged the Turkish government to ensure religious freedom for Christians. The legal status and day-to-day treatment of Christians - not just Catholics - in Turkey can be improved and the Vatican is doing its best to achieve this improvement.
This dual approach shows the Vatican's common sense approach on the international scenario. It holds strongly on questions of basic principles while it is ready to compromise on other issues.